Hellboy 2: The Golden Army;
July 31, 2008
Guillermo del Toro and his brilliant team of fantasy filmmakers continue in the glow of “Pan's Labyrinth” with this very entertaining sequel, fully expanding the depth and likability of the lead characters while providing new heroes, villains and amazingly detailed creatures that makes the exposition and religious themes of the original seem heavy handed by comparison. After preventing a Nazi resurrection, and netherworlds colliding, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his partners, fire-starter Liz (Selma Blair), and psychic fishboy Abe (Doug Jones, greatly improving over the disembodied voice of David Hyde Pierce in the original), have to prevent underworld outcast Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) from wakening the sinister, and indestructible Golden Army to avenge his people against humankind. The Prince has an identical twin sister (Anna Walton) who isn't so sympathetic to his cause; she brings the case to Hellboy and Abe, who falls in love with the pasty Princess, and their romance not only brings needed depth to Abe, who played second fiddle to Hellboy in the original, but brings the film, which is often overwhelmed by stunning CGI creatures and Hellboy's comedic quips, a humanist touch. Pulling all this together with remarkable fluidity, del Toro revels in creating one creature filled set piece after another for our heroes to conquest (an underworld gatekeeper resembled, with his flat face and eight eyes, the horrific Pale Man of 'Pan's'), while the addition of new hero Johann Krauss, a hilarious wind bag (literally, made of gas) voiced by Seth MacFarlane in a mock German accent who comes to odds with Hellboy, makes the character roster especially deep and humorous. There's a reason Peter Jackson has chosen del Toro to helm his ambitious two-part adaptation of “The Hobbit”; he's a visionary perfectionist with the keen ability to match action and CGI creature development with likable characters and knockout humor. Akin to “Spider-Man 2”, “X-Men 2”, and “The Dark Knight” as comic-book sequels that far surpass their originals, 'Hellboy II' may just be the best of the bunch.
By Adam Suraf